I consider exercise and fitness more than just a hobby. It’s a commitment I made with myself in my early 20s and one of the few I have kept. I have been exercising now for over 11 years and my frequency has remained fairly consistent, 3-5 times a week sometimes twice a day. Injuries, increased workloads, and illnesses have all kept me out of the gym, sometimes at great lengths, but I always motivated myself to bounce back. I started working out seriously in college with strength training and then began incorporating cardiovascular activities in preparation for military service. Throughout my military career and as I started to build endurance I conditioned myself with many different forms of exercise, which evolved into functional fitness and high intensity interval training or, more specifically, CrossFit. I certainly enjoy strength training as it was my fitness foundation, so when I discovered CrossFit it was like I hit the exercise jackpot. I could build strength and muscle tone while improving my cardiovascular endurance. It was the best of all worlds, but most importantly, it was fitness I could actually use.

Not only has regular exercise been a way to stay physically healthy, but I also attribute it to maintaining my mental health as well. It has kept my mind sharp, focused and robust enough to handle extreme life stressors. The hardest part about getting into shape was starting, but after the first 2-3 months it became routine. Now working out is not a chore as I simply cannot imagine my life without being fit. I enjoy participating in occasional athletic events and the training up that is involved. CrossFit has helped me do everything better, from maintaining a “fighting shape” to horseplay with my family. It keeps me resilient to injury and is the most cost effective preventative maintenance for my physical and mental health. I always joke with my family that if I knew the exact time I was going to die I would surely plan a workout for that day.

I’ve been working out at CrossFit City Limits for almost a year now and can attest to their remarkable ability as a functional fitness coaches. As coaches of CrossFit, they are both professional and knowledgeable in conducting H.I.I.T. (High Intensity Interval Training) and teaching the proper techniques associated with Olympic lifting and other barbell movements, kipping and other gymnastics movements, and everything in between. They also have an array of knowledge that transcends the gym floor with additional experiences in nutrition, mobility, and how to live a fit life. The coaching staff is an example to their clients by embodying what a healthy lifestyle is all about. Their passion and enthusiasm for fitness is what motivates me to keep coming back. It’s refreshing to see personal trainers that get fully invested in your fitness experience to include achieving your specific goal set while delighting in your voyage to meet them. The small groups allows them to take the time to focus on your specific movements which improves your technique while ensuring your safety. They have a friendly and professional personality, not pushy or salesmen-like. Whether you are new to functional fitness and HIIT exercise or just looking for something different from your normal routine you can trust in the services at CrossFit City Limits.

When I decided to take the leap into something new, CrossFit, I had the pleasure of finding CrossFit City Limits. I have always been active, but was looking for a new challenge. There are a lot of negative perceptions linked with CrossFit goers-such as “You get injured more,” “it’s like a cult” and overall it has that “meathead/self absorbed” association. However, CrossFit City Limits is not like these other “boxes.” These coaches have a natural talent for being patient with others and coaching. They explain movements step by step, in a non-threatening way, but also because they genuinely care about you achieving your goals (and having proper form). There are some complicated lifts utilized in CrossFit, and for a complete lift to be the most efficient, it takes quite a bit of practice. I remember a specific time when I was learning how to overhead snatch. Coach Kyle stayed with me late showing me video analysis of my bar path to show me where I could improve. He was encouraging and positive and stayed with me until I was satisfied and understood how to correct the movement. It made a big impact on me and my training.

Any time I was learning a new complicated movement, the coaches were always good about reiterating a skill to accomplish associated with that movement so when incorporated it would be done correctly. They are a stickler for form and that’s a good thing for a coach! Often times I see many coaches give up on athletes because they are tired of sounding like a broken record. These coaches have a hundred different ways to get the point across. After three years of CrossFit, I never once injured myself, either! If there was ever an odd pain or a soreness, they always had a suggestion for mobility or stretching that fixed the issue. The main reason I have stayed with CrossFit City Limits was not just the challenging workouts, but the positive and happy demeanor of the community is infectious. Everyone was always easy to chat with about non-gym related topics, laughs quite a bit, is open-minded and because of that, it kept so many people coming back into the gym. Many of my close friends are those I met at the gym, I am so glad to have walked into CrossFit City Limits.

I used to be that girl who would “workout” consistently for a few months with long distance jogging as my main objective, then throw in some crunches and push-ups every once in a while. After miles and miles of fairly painless work, I would get fed up after not feeling different or seeing any changes with my body. Yeah, I could comfortably jog for hours, but the results were not reflecting the time I put in. I would then fall hard off that wagon while my frustrations turned into eating horribly and not doing any type of workout at all. After a few more months of being miserable, cycle repeat… Then CrossFit City Limits came into my life. They coaches introduced me to their powerful workout program that has affected every aspect of the way I live. It has taught me to actually push myself to my limits instead of going through the motions, and it has instilled a mentality and approach to working out that has netted results I never thought possible. It is the greatest fitness lifestyle I have ever been exposed to.

In all seriousness, I was a little skeptical during my first workout. The coach started me off with a warm-up. I used to call this warm-up a complete workout in my past days….I was way off. We then moved on to focusing on a specific functional movement. This was more of a lesson on how technique and efficiency go hand-in-hand. Then it was time for the work-out; the high intensity, fast moving, working yourself as hard as you possibly can work-out. The excitement and intensity of the work-out is indescribable (you must try). After less than 10 minutes of this, it was over and time for a cool down. This was crazy to me. I thought it took hours and hours to complete a workout. It took me absolutely no time to get used to this kind of fitness. The very first workout I completed on November 7, 2011 was an 8 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) of 10 box jumps, 8 x 12lb wallball shots, and 6 banded push-ups. I got through 4 rounds and 2 wall-ball shots. On January 24, 2012, I completed this same workout in 6 rounds and 3 wall-ball shots. Another accomplishment of mine that I give all the credit to CrossFit City Limits is improving my half marathon time by 20 minutes with their customized training. To see these kinds of improvements is such a great feeling. Every workout is something different, effective and fun. I know “fun” is a weird word to say in the same sentence as workout, but somehow they do it!

Thanks to CrossFit City Limits, working out has rejuvenated my life in the fitness aspect as well as outside of fitness. I am super excited to keep progressing in my fitness journey!!!

As a former collegiate athlete, I never thought I could match the level of fitness I had at my peak during my early 20s. After years of grad school, full-time work, and having a family, I fell victim to doing the same workout routine for years and had no positive results to show. One day while running halfheartedly on a treadmill, I decided I had enough and wanted to try something different. That’s when I met the coaches at CrossFit City Limits who introduced me to the functional fitness cross training. Over the past 5+ year, they have provided me with coaching that has not only helped me surpass my previous best fitness levels, they more importantly made working out fun again. Thanks to them, I am at a fitness level that allows me to live pain free, happy, and healthy as I keep up with my 2 kids.